05 Nov 2025
Creative New Zealand announces the winners of the 2025 Arts Pasifika Awards, which has celebrated excellence in Pacific arts across various disciplines since 1996.
The in-person ceremony was held at Te Papa Museum in Wellington and hosted by Kent Gardner, Chair Arts Council Toi Aotearoa.
This year’s recipients demonstrate the diversity of Pacific arts practice, celebrating long-standing practitioners whose work has shaped generations and emerging artists whose talents signal an exciting future.
Eight awards were presented, including the newly created Pacific Arts Business Award, which recognises the contribution of a Pasifika-led creative enterprise demonstrating innovation and leadership in business.
Kent Gardner, Chair of the Arts Council Toi Aotearoa, is thrilled to celebrate Pacific arts excellence through the only awards dedicated to honouring Pacific artists and their contributions.
“I’m excited for the inclusion of the Pacific Arts Business Award, as it recognises Pasifika-led creative enterprises that demonstrate excellence in business. These enterprises are not only driving the creative economy but also creating opportunities for local and global audiences to participate in Pacific arts,” says Kent.
A celebrated actor, director, and storyteller, Anapela Polataivao ONZM receives the Senior Pacific Artist Award for her outstanding contribution to Pacific theatre and performance. The Pacific Arts Business Award goes to The Coconet TV and Tikilounge Productions Ltd, whose work champions Pacific stories across film, digital, and television platforms.
Jewellery and crafts artist Sofia Tekela-Smith receives the Pacific Contemporary Artist Award for her exceptional artistry exploring identity and connection through contemporary Pacific design.
The Pacific Toa Award is presented to Tejit Records in recognition of their efforts to empower Pacific musicians and celebrate creativity within the music industry. The Veiqia Project earns the Pacific Heritage Artist Award for their work revitalising and celebrating Fijian female tattooing traditions through research, exhibitions, and storytelling.
Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu receives the Special Recognition Award for her dedication to Pacific arts advocacy and community development. Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson is recognised with the Emerging Pacific Artist Award for his growing impact as a performer and storyteller, while Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono receives the Iosefa Enari Memorial Award in recognition of his contribution to classical music and artistic growth.
Jannita Pilisi, Arts Council member, says the awards highlights the impact Pacific arts continues to have on our creative ecosystem.
“This year’s recipients are champions of culture koloa (treasures), mentors, and leaders in our arts communities. Their contributions are a reminder to us that Pacific art is not only an individual achievement, but includes our entire village,” says Jannita.
2025 Arts Pasifika Awards recipients
Senior Pacific Artist | Anapela Polataivao ONZM
Anapela Polataivao ONZM (Vailoa, Vaiusu, Fagae’e, Safue) , a proud Samoan from Manurewa, is a multiple award-winning director and actress. A Toi Whakaari graduate, her directing highlights include The Factory, Wild Dogs Under My Skirt, The Savage Coloniser Show, Things That Matter, and Red, White and Brass. She created Alofagia: Le Opera featuring Sol3 Mio and recently directed The Monster in the Maze for NZ Opera.
As an actress, Anapela is known for her acclaimed performance in Tinā and roles in Night Shift, One Thousand Ropes, and My Name is Gary Cooper. A founding member of Kila Kokonut Krew, she was named a New Generation Arts Laureate in 2014 and appointed an ONZM in 2023.
Pacific Arts Business Award | The Coconet/Tikilounge Productions Ltd
The Coconet is a global digital platform and the world’s most far-reaching medium for Pasifika arts, built over 15 years. The Coconet TV hosts an extensive catalogue of storytelling, music, heritage content, and thought leadership, serving as a digital fale for Pacific audiences worldwide. Standout content like Inky Pinky Ponky, which reached over 2.5 million viewers, sits alongside both traditional and contemporary Pasifika art forms. Its offerings from Polysongbooks playlists and Digital Fagogo resources to Moana storytelling and documentaries, showcasing culturally authentic content made by Pasifika creatives.
Operating with a core team of 12 and 40 freelance creatives, Tikilounge has sustained growth, employment, and content development, proving a scalable and sustainable model in a competitive digital media landscape.
Pacific Contemporary Artist Award | Sofia Tekela-Smith
Sofia Tekela-Smith holds a distinctive place in Pasifika arts, showing her enduring commitment to Pasifika strength and spirit. Her work weaves personal experiences with the tensions of diasporic identity, hypervisibility, and the western gaze.
Her pieces are held in major public and private collections, including Te Papa, Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland Museum, The Dowse, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Grounded in Pasifika homes, women’s labour, and community connections, Sofia’s practice moves with humility and reciprocity — extending beyond gallery walls into spaces often unseen by the art world.
Pacific Toa Award |Tejit Records
Moni and Ese Aumalesulu are musicians, creative directors and the founders of Tejit Records. Tejit Records is a leading audio production company based in Auckland, New Zealand. The duo specialise in creating high-quality music and audio recordings for artists and businesses. They have collaborated in the studio with renowned Pacific artists, including Vaniah Toloa, Sammy Atoa, and the Four Brothers.
Pacific Heritage Artist Award | The Veiqia Project
The Veiqia Project (TVP) is a collective of Marama ni Viti - Fijian women artists and researchers dedicated to raising the awareness and revival of veiqia, the traditional practice of female tattooing in Fiji. Brought together in 2015, the project blends contemporary art with ancestral knowledge, exploring themes of identity, womanhood, and cultural reclamation. They have exhibited in NZ and the Pacific Islands and mostly recently in Fiji. Through exhibitions, research, and collaboration, it has become a powerful platform for Pacific feminisms and Indigenous storytelling.
TVP's core members are Dr Tarisi Sorovi-Vunidilo, Margaret Aull, Donita Hulme, Joana Monolagi, Dulcie Stewart, and Luisa Tora.
Special Recognition Award | Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu
Seiuli Terri is guided by faith, family, and purpose. A proud mum and advocate for Pasifika, cultural wellbeing, and Autism awareness, she brings over 30 years’ experience in education, Pacific equity, event management, community engagement, social impact, and the creative arts.
From Salelologa, Mulifanua, Leauva’a, and Grey Lynn, Seiuli drew on her upbringing and experience to establish Black Sei in 2016, offering a fresh and authentic approach to events, cultural photography, and Pacific creations.
She is passionate about directing ASB Polyfest and championing the National Pasifika Festivals Aotearoa, a network of Polyfests and Pasifika festivals across the motu.
Emerging Pacific Artist Award | Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson
Haanz is a multi-talented artist with roots in Niue, Tonga, and Samoa. A PIPA graduate, he has built a dynamic career across theatre, screen, music, and dance, appearing in productions such as O le Pepelo, Le Gaoi Ma Le Pala’ai, Still Life of Chickens, My Name is Pilitome, and North by Northwest, as well as on screen in Panthers, My Life is Murder, Brutal Lives – Mo’ui Faingata'a, Shortland Street, and feature films Hibiscus & Ruthless, Savage, and Red, White & Brass.
A skilled dancer and musician, he is part of the 9-piece band Island Vibes and released his debut single Mavehe, nominated for Best Pacific Music Video at the 2025 Pacific Music Awards. Haanz is also a Teacher Aide and Polyfest tutor at Manurewa High School, and a proud father.
Iosefa Enari Memorial Award | Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono
Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono is a Samoan baritone from Flaxmere, Hastings. His passion for classical music began with Project Prima Volta, a Hawke’s Bay initiative empowering young people through music. He completed a Master in Advanced Opera Studies at the University of Waikato through The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS) and, in 2024, joined the Freemasons New Zealand Opera Company as an Artist, performing in numerous productions and concerts across the country.
Alfred has won multiple competitions, including the Hamilton Aria, DMMF Waikato Aria, ODT Southern Aria, Napier Aria, and South Auckland Recital competitions. He was a Lexus Song Quest semi-finalist, Lockwood New Zealand Aria finalist, and grand finalist at the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award, winning the Stimme Leib und Seele scholarship. A five-time attendee of the New Zealand Opera School, he received the top DMMF scholarship in his final year.
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